


Fifty Percent

by EvilDime



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, Gen, Hulk (Marvel) Feels, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hurt Tony Stark, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 08:59:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14931233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilDime/pseuds/EvilDime
Summary: After the events of Infinity War, the Avengers mourn their losses.





	Fifty Percent

"I miss him," Bruce says quietly, sounding surprised.

"Yeah?" Steve's voice doesn't have an ounce of empathy in it, like he's not even trying any more. "Who do you mean? With  over four million dead on this planet alone, you gotta be a  _ little _ more specific,  pal."  He lets go of the knife he's been playing with. It sinks into the opposite wall with a dull  _ thud. _

Tony knows they need to work together more than ever, but he's also never hated Steve more than he does in this moment.  "Four million and counting," he grunts.  Bruce is silent.

Maybe exactly half  the world's population has initially disintegrated, but accidents killed hundreds of thousands more  immediately after. Then there was the subsequent lack of trained personnel in all areas,  with a sparsity of doctors to treat the immense flood of wounded that  inundated the hospitals  just being the peak of the iceberg.  The stock market crashed. Several power plants had to be shut down due to lack of skilled maintenance personnel. Businesses without leadership were left adrift for too long. 

In short, everything  has come crashing down. Electricity, food, water. The basic necessities  are suddenly unavailable to billions of people. Thanos's Armageddon was only a  couple of  weeks ago and already it is becoming clear that  in time,  the actual damage will be closer to eighty or ninety rather than the  announced fifty percent of Earth's population. 

And those ten to twenty percent won't  be able to eke out a miserable existence for themselves amongst the ruins of civilization  for long  if  some alien race who may have fared better comes to wipe them out while they're vulnerable. 

They are so very vulnerable right now.

Bad enough that the people are gone, the infrastructure, everything; what's more, all but the most heartless are in shock, barely able to make it to the next day themselves for helpless fear, pain and loss.  Suicides are more en vogue than after the publication of  _ The Sorrows of Young Werther. _

They have all lost so much. Tony looks over at Laura Barton.  She, in turn, is watching Steve, who has gotten up to retrieve the knife. Tony notices it's one of the Winter Soldier's. 

Of course it is. 

Tony doesn't need to ask who Cap is mourning.  Just two years ago,  Steve Rogers turned his back on the Avengers, on the USA and on his legacy as Captain America without a moment's hesitation for  James fucking Barnes. Doesn't take a man of  Tony's genius to figure that one out. 

Not that it takes a genius to figure out anyone's greatest loss. Cap's boyfriend is gone - both of them, a dry little voice in the back of Tony's head adds. Doctor Foster. Hope van Dyne. Clint.

Pepper.

Tony doesn't know how he's going to do it, but he _will_ bring Thanos down for what he's done to Tony. To Earth.  Strange sacrificed himself to protect Tony, saying it had to be that way; obviously, Tony is meant to be able to do _something._ He just has to  find out what.

He has to figure it out or go mad at the injustice of what  has been done to his world. 

All across the globe, it seems that the  _fifty percent_ were culled mostly from stable relationships, marriages, partnerships. 

_Is this your brave new world, Thanos? A world in which every living being with a heart has had it broken by the death of the most important person in their life?_

...Huh. Most important person. Betty Ross  is dead. Why would Bruce mourn a  _'him'?_

"Bruce?" he picks up the thread of the previous conversation again. "Who is it you're missing?"

Bruce blinks at him as though trying to gauge if Tony actually wants to know. Honestly, Tony doesn't really care, but at least this mystery will keep his mind off their bleak situation for a few more minutes. So Tony gives Bruce his best _intently listening_ look.

Bruce doesn't seem to buy it, for he sighs and draws in on himself. But then he surprises Tony by speaking anyway.  "I never liked him, you know. Hated him, in fact.  I've tried so long to  deny that part of myself,  I didn't think that's who I am. And  now I just..."

Bruce breaks off, angrily wiping at  a moist eye.  He looks flustered.  "I know I should be glad, but we really got used to each other, you know?"

Tony  narrows his eyes at his friend. "Bruce. Who do you miss?"

Bruce doesn't look at him. "Turns out we weren't two parts of a whole, we were really just sharing."

Now even Steve has turned to stare at Bruce.  "Bruce?"

Bruce  stonily stares back.  "The Other Guy was part of the  Fifty  Percent."

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Fifty Percent](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15062468) by [EvilDime](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvilDime/pseuds/EvilDime)




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